The Apple Beat: A Decade of Apple Retail Stores

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It's hard to believe that the Apple Retail Stores have been around for 10 years. Looking at the video above we see Apple CEO Steve Jobs enthusiastically walking viewers through the first Apple Retail Store in Tysons Corner Center in Virginia. The concept back then was novel and downright risky specially since Apple didn't have anywhere the market share it has today. Let's take a look at what makes Apple Retail tick.

"Literally half the store is devoted to solutions," Jobs says in the video above. "Because people don't just want to buy personal computers any more. They want to know what they can do with them," that seems to have been one of the best decisions Apple made with regards to its retail presence. Walk into any Apple Retail Store today and there are always people getting solutions advice or getting their problems sorted out.

There are currently  317 Apple stores today, 233 in the U.S. and 84 globally including 19 in Canada. 

Line culture: No other retail store can bring days worth of lines of avid customers waiting for the next great productApple Retail Stores work because they don't just serve to sell products, they make it a point to find tailored solutions for customers. My sister-in-law recently bought a MacBook Pro and signed up for Apple's One-to-one program that gives members the opportunity to come to the stores to get hands on tutorials not only on how to use their products but to complete creative projects. Adopting a new OS and computer ecosystem is daunting but the One-to-one service walks all levels of users through the process, that's the way to win new users and get them coming back.

iCon: The Shanghai Apple Store sees the largest crowd of visitorsOther consumer electronics manufacurers have tried to set up similar retail stores and while some have matched the style, look and design that Apple's Retail Stores are known for, they failed to match the intangibles. Customer-oriented service, good communication and supreme patience with customers (Genius Bar) plus the effective online and in-store scheduling system. What these other retailers need to learn is the dialogue that Apple has built with its users. Sure, cool products will get them coming but to keep users happy (and spending more) you find ways to empower them through the use of the technology.

The Apple Retail Store has been the face of the company and also a steady earner. According to Needham & Co analyst Charlie Wolf the Apple stores are responsible for 12.9 per cent of the company's worldwide revenues in March and this is expected to continue.

For its 10th anniversary the Apple Store is expected to undergo some changes in the look, feel and experience. Some musings we've picked these past few days include some new signage, sound systems and iPads serving as interactive stations. Whatever it is, it should be interesting to watch or, even better, experience.